Saturday, November 24, 2012

Not ready to leave summer? Let's look backwards a bit with some indie surf. With an appealing sound that evokes Dick Dale or the Ventures combined with a '60s girl group, the young, all-female Seattlites called La Luz are just what the DJ prescribed.

The band members are Shana Cleveland (guitar), Marian Li Pino (drums), Abbey Blackwell (bass), and Katie Jacobson (keyboard). And they all sing. Give their new Damp Face EP a spin. Swing to the fast numbers line "Sure as Spring", feel a chill with the atmospheric surf noir instrumental of "Damp Face". If you like it, the Bandcamp site is your new best friend. The digital EP is available for "name your price" and the cassette for $4. Hang on to those summer vibes with La Luz, my friends.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Sounding like a combination of The Strokes from NYC and Glasgow's beloved Orange Juice either one of which should be enough cool for any occasion -- "Don't Be Too Cool" is the latest single from The Deadline Shakes. And the song has been made available for free download by the band's label, Flowers in the Dustbin. So give it a play, and then download it at Bandcamp. This will be the cheapest Black Friday treat, and probably the easiest to obtain. And you won't tire of it like that sweater you just bought (whatever were you thinking?).

"Don't Be Too Cool" follows in the fine tradition of Glasgow guitar pop. Add it to your holiday season soundtrack.

Especially for the many Notre Dame football fans among our loyal readers, we feature the signature song of a special young man today.
Louis Nix III is a defensive lineman whose dominating play in the middle is a very big reason why Notre Dame is rated #1 in the country. But perhaps more important are Louis' enthusiasm and infectious personality, which contribute significantly to ND's remarkable team chemistry.

The junior from Jacksonville, Florida has 11 younger brothers, so he no doubt learned to lead with some humor and perspective there.

We know of his outsized personality from a series of homemade videos that he posts called Chocolate News. Here's my favorite: We pet mooses around here.

So what is the theme song that Big Lou uses in the videos? "Candy" by Cameo from their 1986 smash WordUp!:

Cameo were a large ensemble from New York City, led by Larry Blackmon. "Candy" has been sampled by many, including Tupac Shakur, Mariah Carey, the Black Eyed Peas, and Master P.

So as America finishes up the Thanksgiving celebration and turns its attention to Notre Dame's regular season finale against traditional rival Southern Cal tomorrow, we here at the Soul Corner give thanks for ND's remarkable season and honor the 6'3", 326 pound soul man, "Irish Chocolate", the irrepressible Louis Nix III.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

As we did last year, we'd like to wish our loyal readers wherever you are out there across the world, a very Happy Thanksgiving Day. We've got a set of great tunes to give thanks to today.
Our readership nearly doubled this year, and we are grateful to all of you for the support. We are having fun here.
So thank you!
Here's two for you Soul Corner fans, the first courtesy of Frank Fahey:

And for you rockers who like your thank you's a bit more on the greasy side, here's a kick ass live version of "I Thank You" by some guys who had beards long before they were trendy hipster gear:

Here's one from the great Ray Davies, a proper Brit (well sort of), noting this American holiday:

And finally, from our dear friends in Chicago, Diane Christiansen and Steve Dawson, and their great Americana band Dolly Varden, a brand new song "Thank You". This is from their new full length CD For A While which we will be writing about here when it is released in Jan 2013. A new Dolly Varden record is indeed something to be thankful for:

Have a great Thanksgiving Day everyone! Tune in tomorrow for a very special edition of the Soul Corner that will carry particularly resonance for you Notre Dame football fans out there.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

New Order trying its hand as a garage band, or the Hives or the Strokes trying for New Order's new wave? Whichever way you decide to view it, Finnish band French Films has captured an undeniably great sound. The band was formed in 2010, garnered positive attention with a few demos and released a four track EP. In 2011 they released the Imaginary Future LP. They are working on their second full length, but this summer released the two-track 7" When People Like You Filled The Heavens. Both tracks are excellent.

I think these guys have a great future, and can make their mark far beyond Finland's shores. Give them a little time at the links. Their current output is available at iTunes and Amazon. And of course, watch for the release of their second album.

Monday, November 19, 2012

If a guitar pop fan were to pick only one city to supply his or her musical needs lately, a competitive candidate would be Melbourne, Australia. And one of the reasons is the trio known as Woollen Kits. With apparent influences from '60s rock, the Flying Nun bands and '80s underground rock, this band creates an exciting brand of garage pop, with enough punk, enough jangle and enough driving bass to make their music stand out from the crowd. Can three guys sound like a mash up of The Troggs, The Clean and a band from Athens, Georgia with plenty of caffeine? Their new LP Four Girls answers the question in the affirmative. Try it out with the single "Susannah" --

Four Girls presents a guitar pop band that is unafraid to adorn their melodies with muscle and energy. The confidence in the music they produce is evident, and it is infectious. I'd give you hints about which songs are the best, but my favorites tend to change with each listen. But the last time through the album I gave replay honors to "Be You" and "All Sorts" as well as "Susannah".

By the way, the title of the album reflects the subject of four of the ten tracks -- in addition to "Susannah", there are songs entitled Shelley, Sandra and Cheryl. Shall we meet Shelley?

Woollen Kits is Tom Hardisty, Tom Ridgewell and Leon Applebee. Four Girls is their second LP of 2012, and it is out on RIP Society Records in Australia and Trouble in Mind Records in the U.S.